The Meaning of Disposition (3)

The court-martial unfolded at breakneck speed.

All evidence analysis was finished in an instant, testimony was accepted or dismissed in the blink of an eye, and under the pretext of enforcing military discipline, harsh punishment was handed down in one straight rush.

──Drip. Drip.

A solitary cell where muddy water dripped from above.

Lieutenant Adel sat on the cold iron floor behind bars. He looked close to despair, as if he had already given up on life, his empty eyes fixed blankly on nothing.

──Bang! Bang bang!

Someone suddenly pounded on the bars. It was Bernhardt. Adel hadn't expected him, and barely even registered that he was there.

"Well, damn. Stress is making all your hair fall out, huh, you bastard?"

Bernhardt sneered. Adel didn't even have the strength to answer. He only dropped his head lower.

Bern stared hard at him.

"...Hey. They say you're getting executed."

A rushed trial, carried out without him receiving a proper defense even once.

Maybe his crime was being a commoner with no backing. Or maybe it was noticing the truth about the people above him. Or maybe Sergeant Manuel, that bastard, had played pointless hero and gotten himself killed...

Weakness welled up in one corner of Adel's heart. He bit his lip, as if scolding himself.

"...You idiot bastard."

Creak. Bernhardt gripped the bars hard.

"Hey."

He glanced around and lowered his voice.

"You ever hear this saying?"

"..."

Adel still kept his mouth shut, so Bern continued.

"Good soldier. Bad soldier."

"..."

"Ah, fuck, you idiot. What are you even thinking? You won't open your mouth at all, seriously, fuck."

Bernhardt stared at the top of Adel's head with open frustration, like he could grind him down with his gaze. In that rough look, a trace of pity and sympathy had spread before he noticed.

"Hey. You still trust that half-breed bastard? You suffocating dumbass."

Adel's shoulders twitched.

"Classmate. You fucking idiot classmate."

Bern bent low and whispered.

"The whistleblower letter you wrote. Know who leaked it?"

Adel slowly raised his head and looked at Bernhardt. Bern read the confusion and suspicion in his eyes and let out a dry laugh.

"You think it was me? You thought it'd be me? Or someone else? Fuck, did you think I ratted you out?"

Bang!

He kicked the bars with his combat boot.

"Think, you idiot! Who did you hand it to?!"

"...What?"

"Who did you give that letter to, dumbass?!"

To who...?

Adel's eyes widened at last. His breathing stopped for a moment, like he'd been struck from behind.

"Yeah, idiot. The bastard you handed it to leaked it himself."

Bernhardt muttered, face twisted up.

"Lieutenant Colonel Eaton, that bastard is the mastermind."

"What are you-"

"Not 'what'! Think! Don't just trust what you see. That's the problem with commoners. You don't know how scary people with real power are."

The eastern frontier was an outer zone where oversight from Imperial Central couldn't reach.

Conviction, grit, skill, character. If you only trusted that kind of thing, you couldn't survive. On this sheet of thin ice, loyalty and justice meant nothing. You just died without anyone noticing.

"Then..."

"Fuck, now you finally feel like listening?"

After checking Adel's frozen face, he continued.

"Brigadier General Juken is already completely in Eaton's pocket. You know how much money that half-breed bastard's family has?"

Bernhardt checked around again and lowered his voice.

"I looked into it myself. Juken, that old man, all those failed investments and even the private loans he pulled in, Eaton paid them all off. Right now, on the surface, they look like they're checking each other and clashing, right?"

Good soldier and bad soldier.

Juken willingly played the villain at the top. Meanwhile, Eaton played the clean officer trusted by his subordinates.

When Juken retired later, Eaton would naturally take the brigade commander seat, then climb higher and monopolize the eastern cartel.

"...Classmate. You fucking classmate."

Bernhardt leaned his forehead against the bars and sighed.

"Ah, fuck. I found out too late too. No wonder that half-breed bastard felt creepy from the first time I saw him..."

Haa. He raked his hair in irritation.

"For now, I'll delay your execution as much as I can, so shut up and stay right there. Don't say anything. Keep your mouth closed like now."

Adel couldn't believe what he was seeing from Bern. He asked in a trembling voice.

"...Why?"

The man helping him, his actions, even his face, all of it felt strange.

"Why? Fuck!"

Bernhardt barked, then worked his lips and looked away.

"We're classmates, you crazy bastard."

Classmates. Adel stared blankly at him.

"You idiot..."

Was loyalty, was true nature, something that only showed itself when a person was at their lowest?

Bern threw harsh words at Adel for no reason, then turned sharply.

"I'm going. Remember this. Keep your mouth shut."

...But the conversation passing between them there was being sent somewhere.

In the corner of the bars.

A dusty gap.

A tiny receiver.

It gathered the frequencies in their voices through mana, then transmitted and broadcast them to another machine...

"Colonel."

Eaton's adjutant looked at him and spoke. After confirming the tearful friendship between Bernhardt and Adel, Eaton tapped the desk expressionlessly.

"What should we do?"

"..."

Lieutenant Colonel Eaton fell into thought for a moment.

That day.

The day Lieutenant Adel identified that communication.

The real reason Eaton had personally patrolled the control room was to monitor it in case information leaked out.

Eaton narrowed his eyes.

"Transfer him."

"Yes, sir."

Bernhardt came from a fairly powerful military family. There was no need to pick at a man like that and create trouble. He could even cover up, to a point, the crime of daring to insult him.

"Instead, there's one rat who gave him that information."

Murder flashed in Eaton's eyes.

"I think it's probably Goetz... that one."

With his fingers interlaced, he gave a cold order.

"Kill him for sure."

"Yes, sir."

The adjutant hurried out of the office, and Eaton leaned back deep into his chair.

Click. Click. He lit a cigarette and put it between his lips.

"Haa..."

Commoners were easy to handle.

If you didn't curse, didn't strut, and only pretended to respect them on the surface, they trusted and followed.

Cigars, wine, whiskey, luxury accessories, extravagant nightlife, and the rest. If you only restrained the visible, vulgar corruption, they willingly put leashes on themselves and became loyal dogs.

Maybe they mistook him for someone like them.

How strange.

What one cannot do and what one does not do were fundamentally different in kind.

"..."

Eaton stood from his chair and looked over the eastern front with deep eyes.

This place where he had spent years, the 7th Brigade.

Every day, the stench of rotten mud rolled in, and the smell of machines and oil filled the air. This was his kingdom.

In these damned mountains, he was king, and no one could look down on him or disgrace him.

So...

* * *

Imperial Central, Sentinel Order office.

[Brigadier General Juken]

[Colonel Michael]

[Lieutenant Colonel Eaton] [Lieutenant Colonel Johann] [Lieutenant Colonel Karl] [Lieutenant Colonel Goetz]

[Major Joachim] [Major Kenso......]

Working officers had carefully organized information on the eastern brigade and pinned it to a cork board.

"The current commander of the Eastern 7th Armored Grenadier Brigade is Brigadier General Juken."

Brigadier General Juken. Before regression, his military corruption had been exposed, but instead of execution, he only got a forced discharge. He probably lived well until the Empire fell.

"And the person who delivered the whistleblower letter to us is this man."

The working officer pointed at a figure at the bottom of the board.

"Major Joachim."

While listening to the briefing, I mapped the eastern brigade's power structure in my head.

"According to Major Joachim's testimony and rumors inside the unit, corruption in Brigadier General Juken's faction is severe. Circumstances suggesting that were also captured in the whistleblower letter."

Juken's line. No, most of the 7th Brigade's command was probably rotten to the core.

Standing water always rotted. A closed organization like the military was that kind of place.

"Also, there is a force opposing the Juken line."

The officer tapped the photo on the other side of the board.

"Eaton Weiss."

I looked at his photo.

A neat face with sharp lines. Keen eyes. A face that advertised, to anyone who looked, I am a capable commander.

"He is the eldest son of House Weiss. His father's side is an old eastern Imperial noble family and regional power, and on his mother's side, his grandfather's line is from a wealthy Zerpan family."

Top-tier stock, where wealth and honor were fused.

But that was all it was.

"Among the soldiers, there are widespread rumors that he is a very upright and clean commander."

I swallowed a laugh.

Eaton Weiss.

Right now, he was acting like an excellent soldier, but later he would betray the Empire.

He would revive his Zerpan bloodline, latch onto the Western Union States, change his name to Eaton Eshlin,

become a Union general, then after the war become a major republican politician, and in the end fall into ruin when corruption was exposed. A disgusting opportunist.

"And there are a few more people of interest. Lieutenant Bernhardt, third son of House Valenstein."

Bernhardt Valenstein.

I knew that name. He was an imperial soldier to the bone.

In the continental war before regression, on the disadvantaged eastern front, he showed excellent tactical results, but lost to the gap in force, refused to retreat, and died on the spot.

"However, his current reputation among soldiers is very poor. Because of noble arrogance and verbal abuse. He is academy classmates with Lieutenant Adel, who is currently confined."

Adel... honestly, I didn't remember him.

He probably died like this.

"...Interesting story."

I muttered and twisted the corner of my mouth.

My memories of the past overlapped strangely with the current situation.

Ah, why did I know this case so well?

Because before regression, I was the knight in charge of this corruption case.

Back then I was weak. I was stupid. I didn't see through Eaton Weiss's hypocrisy, and I wasn't strong enough to crush Juken.

Instead, swayed by pressure around me and fooled by Eaton's sweet words, I left Juken's disposition to the regular army.

I praised Eaton's character and recommended him to the high command.

An idiot who failed to dig up the core of the case.

That complete idiot was me.

Ding.

The working officer's terminal rang briefly.

"Sir Knight. The transport aircraft is ready."

I stood up without hesitation.

Now it was time to prepare a new disposition.

The day had come to erase my past.

* * *

East, commander's office at 7th Armored Grenadier Brigade headquarters.

"Lieutenant Bernhardt. You are being transferred."

Brigadier General Juken tossed the paperwork and informed him. Behind Bern, Lieutenant Colonel Eaton Weiss stood with a hard expression.

"...Transferred, sir?"

Bern clenched his fist, and Eaton spoke softly.

"Congratulations. Your posting is Imperial Central."

The Central Regular Army, the duty station every frontier soldier wanted to reach, even if it took a lifetime.

"...Commander, I-"

"I will accept no objections."

Juken cut him off and slid a letter across the desk.

In the sender field was Bernhardt's eldest brother.

"Your brother says your father is quite angry too. He retired early because of stress, and now his son has to give him stress again?"

Bernhardt ground his teeth. A hard vein rose under his jaw.

He had volunteered for this barren East because he was sick of his family's influence and his esteemed brothers' interference.

"Then why did you hang around rootless commoner trash?"

Juken clicked his tongue and lectured him.

"Leave quietly. The unit is unstable enough already, and if mud splashes onto a prestigious family's son like you, that causes me trouble too."

"But I-"

"If you have something to say, how about saying it to your father?"

Father. At that word, Bernhardt shut his mouth.

"Or what. Will you say it to Lieutenant Colonel Goetz?"

"..."

Goetz. The lieutenant colonel who had passed information to him.

So they knew everything about me.

They knew, and still pulled this shit.

Bern's shoulders sagged.

"If you understand, leave now."

Juken repeated himself. Bern glared hard at Eaton beside him, then left the office.

Thunk.

"...Idiot bastard."

Juken snorted as soon as the door shut.

"Thank you for your work, Brigadier General."

Lieutenant Colonel Eaton bowed his head.

"It's nothing. As commander, I only did what had to be done. That pathetic bastard was getting cocky."

A guy who barked, trusting only a half-baked family backing. Since he got to save his life and transfer to Central, he should consider himself lucky.

"What will you do about Lieutenant Adel's case?"

"Yes. Then I will take my leave."

"Yeah, yeah. Go on. Get some rest."

Lieutenant Colonel Eaton left the commander's office. Brigadier General Juken buried himself deep in his soft leather chair.

He hummed in a good mood, imagining this month's settlement money dropping into his account, and then.

Riiiiing!

The military direct-line phone on his desk rang loudly. The call came from the most important upper line, headquarters controlling the eastern front.

"Yes. Loyalty. Juken, commander of 7th Brigade speaking."

Juken sat straight and picked up the receiver. It was Major General Caleb.

"Ah, Major General. What is it? Hmm? The court-martial? Ha ha, nothing serious. Just a military supply embezzlement case. Yes, yes."

Juken answered smoothly, trying to calm things down.

But through the receiver, the division commander's words turned strange.

"...Pardon? Ah, sorry, but I don't think we can delay the schedule. The evidence is already secured and..."

Suddenly, Juken's face stiffened.

"What?"

The hand holding the receiver twitched. His pupils widened in disbelief.

─...Brigadier General Juken. I'm speaking as politely and calmly as I can right now.

From the tilted receiver came a voice forcing down anger.

─Court-martial or whatever, stop it immediately.

"S-sir, what do you mean..."

─If you don't want both your head and mine blown off, stop it now, you idiot bastard!

A thunderous shout slammed into his eardrums.

─Until that person arrives, just keep breathing and do nothing──!

...

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!"

In the back seat of a military jeep leaving the brigade and heading toward the eastern city, Bernhardt kept spitting curses while glaring out the window.

"What are you throwing a fit about now? Just go quietly."

Major Kenso, in the driver's seat, rebuked him.

To prevent Bernhardt from trying to desert or disobey the transfer order, the major was driving in person. A fully armed truck followed close behind the jeep.

"...Major, those bastards behind us, that's 4th Platoon, isn't it?"

"Yeah. That's right."

The direct platoon members who had been under Lieutenant Adel's command.

Bernhardt rolled down the window.

"You fucking bastards! Do you even have a conscience?!"

He whipped his head toward the truck behind them and shouted.

On this rotten eastern front, there probably hadn't been a platoon commander who treated soldiers like people more than Adel. A fool, an idiot, who took every dirty job in the unit and would stake his own career to protect soldiers when they were wronged.

And there were this many trash bastards who sold out Adel and clung to Juken and Eaton.

"Fucking bastards. I really want to know how much you got for selling your platoon commander, I really do!"

"Watch your mouth."

Major Kenso warned him.

"How much did we get, my ass. Because Adel embezzled on his own, do you know how much damage the whole unit took, you f-"

At that instant, he yanked the wheel and slammed the brakes.

Screeeech! Hooooonk!

The heavy jeep made an emergency stop in the middle of the mountains. Hot heat hissed up from the engine and skid marks.

"What the fuck is that bastard now?!"

At the edge of the dark, silent night, someone stood still in the middle of the road.

"Hey!"

Major Kenso rolled down the window and yelled.

"Who are you?! Don't you know civilians are banned from this area?! You want to die?! Move now!"

The soldiers behind them jumped down from the truck and loaded their rifles.

Clack!

The metallic click of triggers split the night air. But the man blocking the road didn't move at all.

He only stood there quietly, like a mountain rooted in place.

"You really want to die, huh? Hey! Prepare to fire!"

Tak!

The soldiers raised their gun barrels.

"Unauthorized entry into a military zone is subject to summary execution! Final warning!"

At the instant that shout shook the mountains,

the clouds covering the sky slowly parted, and a full moon appeared. Light poured down through trembling leaves.

"...?"

Blond hair shining brilliantly in the moonlight. Beneath it, cold golden eyes shadowed in darkness. A navy uniform wrapped around his entire body on the mountain road.

"Ah..."

Major Kenso's mouth fell open. Bernhardt's eyes widened. The soldiers aiming their guns were no different.

No one could make a sound.

Violent silence shook the space.

Whoooooosh...

Every face froze in the wind of the night.